Muscle Milk TWMX Race Series Profile: Luke Reardon

Luke Reardon, 20Gold Coast, AUSponsors: Alias, Dunlop, Motorex, FMF, DS Designs, Dubya, 100%, Asterisk, LKI ClothingLuke Reardon comes from a family with a strong background in motocross, including his brother Dan who raced supercross and the outdoors a few years ago. Hailing from Australia, Luke has made the move to Murrieta, CA to train and prepare to make his debut in the upcoming outdoor nationals. He came out to the Muscle Milk/TWMX Spring Cup at Cahuilla Creek to get in some racing laps prior to the Glen Helen opener in a couple weeks. What brings you out to the Muscle Milk/TWMX race today?My brother in law, Michael Sleeter and I decided to come out here and get a little bit of racing and practice in before the first round of the outdoor nationals at Glen Helen. Is your plan to race the whole outdoor national series?The plan is to do the first three rounds 100%, Glen Helen, Hangtown and Colorado. Depending on funds, I might go to the East Coast, but if not, I will just do Washougal and Utah. If you only do the western rounds of the outdoors, what will you race during the time off?I will probably do Mammoth again, I’ve done that the last three years, and that is a fun race and gets a lot of pro riders that race there. I’m not doing Loretta’s anymore now that I am going to start the pro nationals. Other than that I will do the Transworld Races and whatever else is local.How different is the racing over here compared to Australia? Or is it about the same?Over here, the pro racers here at the Transworld race is a small event, but this is about how big the nationals are over in Australia. Our sport has died off a lot over in Australia, which is the reason I come over here. How do the tracks in Australia compare?For one thing, they are only open on the weekends, and you don’t get to practice much unless you have a private track. They are never prepped or watered. That’s how the tracks are over there, which is why everyone comes over here to practice.How did you get your start racing motocross?My dad got my two older brothers, Andrew and Daniel Reardon, started riding when they were 7 and 3. When I got old enough, my dad got me a bike and I just followed them. My brother Daniel raced for 5 or 6 years over here for Geico Honda, Valle Motorsports and a few other teams over here. I’d like to follow him and do the same thing.Does your brother help you out in your training and riding?Not really, he was over here while I was back in Australia, and as soon as I was old enough to move over here, he retired and moved back to Australia. We haven’t had a lot of chances to work together at the track that much.Is Mike Sleeter your primary training and riding coach here?Yes, he does a lot of testing with KTM, so I will try to meet up with them at the tracks through the week. Davi Milsaps also helps me out a bit, so we go out and ride or train off the bike together. Michael and I mainly mountain bike and cycle together 90% of the time. What other training besides mountain biking do you do?Over here I don’t have a chance to do much, it is pretty much just riding and mountain biking and cycling. I also work with Icon Sports Alliance, that’s like circuit training. By the time I do all that I don’t have much time for other things. I like to surf, but the water is too cold over here so I don’t do that very often.